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Has anyone done the Five Boro Bike Tour in New York?
Yup - did it this year, on the 40th anniversary, on the day of my g/f 40th birthday! (she got a shout out in front of 32000 cyclists!) Loved it - but it could have been a smidgen warmer!!
What do you need to know?
I wanted to know if it was well organised and an event worth doing. We're thinking about going back to New York next May. If it's worth doing then we'll plan to be in the city for that weekend. If not then we'll wait until later in May and just stick to the baseball for our sporting fix.
How fast was it? Is it an event that is popular with riders who aren't used to riding in big groups or with large numbers of other riders around them?
I've done it a few times. It's just 'nice' I guess.
It's just like the city Sky Rides in this country. Very well organised and a great way to see and visit all the boroughs of NYC.
Is is worth it? I'd say so.
Yes, well organised - apart from.... Bike hire. Picked up bikes a couple of miles away from start (right at bottom of Manhattan), with no instruction on how to get to start! So lots of people trying to figure out how to get to the start. And the queue for hire bikes was loooong - so make sure you get there early! (we organised hire bikes when we entered, with the 'pick up at start and drop off at end' package)
We entered with the VIP tickets, which is expensive, but means you get a goody bag (varies each year, but we had mugs, frame bag, official ride top), and also get to leave on the first wave of riders out, which is beneficial as we found out later that there are so many riders, you actually end up walking along the 'hills'. And by 'hills', I mean the on ramps for the bridges... It attracts lots of riders that don't really know how to ride!
However, the fact that you're riding up Manhattan, though Central Park, round the boros, on closed roads, with well organised food stops, makes for a great ride. Speed isn't quick - just take it as a pootle. Live bands are playing at the side of the road along the way, and the sponsoring bank all have people outside cheering you on - all makes for a great atmosphere.
It's a great event - we'll do it again, but prob not for a few years as it does get to be quite pricey when you factor in VIP entry, bike hire, and the hotel and flight costs.
Oh, and don't do what I did and forget that the murkans run their brakes the opposite way - had an OTB incident when racing for the start line - oooopsie! 😀